SOME PHYSICIAN FRIENDS OF JOSEPH FARINGTON, R.A. II. ANTHONY CARLISLE* GEORGE H. SMITH Of the character of The Farington Diary and of the period cov- ered by its pages mention has already been made;t it is sufficient here to say that in few places will one find a better portrayal of the men and of the manners of those days which one might term imme- diately pre-Victorian. London life, indeed, English life, of the early 19th century is reflected in this almost day-by-day account penned by the hand of the artist, Joseph Farington. It was inevitable that Farington, with his wide interests and with his wider acquaintance, should bring more or less sharply into focus many of the men with whom he was in contact and many more who were in the public eye or were victims of chit-chat and rumor. Many of these men were medical men, and it is with respect to one of these that excerpts from the Diary are here collected. This man is Anthony Carlisle, who, I think, has been somewhat neglected by medical biographers. ANTHONY CARLISLE In reading the lines of the Diary, and between the lines, it becomes more and more evident that the relationship between Far- ington and Jennert was essentially one of friendship and respect; in the same way, having read all that Farington chose to record, it seems inescapable that his relationship with Sir Anthony Carlisle was a matter of convenience. There is nothing necessarily culpable in this; both men had upon occasion causes to advance, and each called upon the other to aid in attaining the end in view. But there are no expressions in the Diary that imply admiration of Carlisle, despite the fact that his abilities were clearly recognized. And recog- nized they must have been, for Anthony Carlisle was one of the most versatile persons in an era when versatility was expected. * Read before the Beaumont Medical Club, 12 March 1942. t Yale Journal of Biology & Medicine, 1942, 14, 307. t For Jenner's association with Farington see the January issue (Vol. 14, No. 3) of this JOURNAL. Notes identifying some of the persons mentioned in this present paper will be found as an addendum. 408 YALE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE Not only did Carlisle become recognized as a competent surgeon, comparative anatomist, and teacher, but he was also a collector, a lover of black-letter books, an artist (he was recommended to the Royal Academy by no less a sponsor than Joshua Reynolds), a sport- ing gentleman, and a critic. His disposition was not always of the best-the term "crochety" has been applied-and although no one denied him merit all pronounced him vain. References to Carlisle first appear in the Diary at about the time (1 804) when he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, and they continue over a period of 15 years during which he was assuming an ever-increasing importance in the medical affairs of London. In almost all instances where mention of him is made, it is possible to see a direct or indirect connection with his artistic interests; in a few cases it would appear that his interest is Carlisle. One of the earlier of the notes on Carlisle gives a suggestion of his early history as well as a clear indication of the state to which he had attained in the professional field. The memorandum for December 16, 1806, reads: Ant. Carlisle called to speak to me respecting His Brother [this was really his half-brother Nicholas] offering Himself for the Office of Secretary to the Antiquary Society. He sd. His Brother is younger than Himself & was born of a different mother, a second wife, sister to Captain Scottowe, formerly in the East India Company's service . He had a good education, & is a very good Scholer. He had, said Carlisle, a great advantage over me in that respect. I was taken from School at the age of 14, but He remained there till He was near 19. Carlisle came in a handsome Chariot. Despite his lack of early education, Carlisle was quite correct in his conclusion that election to any office in either the Society of Antiquaries or in the Royal Academy could be effected only through the approval of Farington. Whether it was the influence of the "handsome Chariot," or because Farington was convinced of the superlative merits of the candidate, at the election held on Febru- ary 19, 1807, "Nicholas Carlisle, Esqr. brother to the Surgeon" very handily overcame the Revd. Mr. Dibdin and the Revd. Thos. Cox, and in spite of the late hour when the votes were counted the Sur- geon hastily sent around a note announcing the defeat of the cloth. The "handsome Chariot" can perhaps be explained by Faring- ton's entry for October 17, 1806: Carlisle told me that in his practice as a Surgeon when He goes out of town He charges at the rate of a guinea a milc; and that for every day He CARLISLE, PHYSICIAN FRIEND OF JOSEPH FARINGTON 409 might be detained at any place He should charge Ten guineas a day, or Seventy guineas a week; which He observed was not too much, as more than that might be lost to Him eventually owing to His being absent when persons might apply to Him & thereby losing their custom. But then, there was no reason why Carlisle should not collect his guineas; in this he was quite in line with the other leading men of his day, men whom he knew and concerning whom he was in no way reluctant to express his opinions. On February 1 1, 1808, Far- ington entertained a number of his friends at dinner, among the number being Carlisle "who drank no wine & talked much against the use of it." He also talked about many other things, including his medical colleagues, expressing quite frankly and freely his views as to their relative abilities. These opinions Farington records thus: He said, Dr. Baillie who has now a high reputation, has great knowledge of anatomy, & was an excellent Schoolmaster while He gave Lectures in it, but that He had not much medical knowuledge, & held the power of medicine very cheap. For this Carlisle blamed him, as by attention to the progress of a complaint, medicines may undoubtedly be occasionally employed with great effect. He spoke of Reynolds as being a weak man, & consequently not a man capable of judging in cases where sagacity & penetration are necessary. Lettsom, He allowed to be above Reynolds in understanding, but yet an inferior man. Dr. George Fordyce, He sd. killed Himself by drinking which habit He commenced after the untimely death of his son. The Doctor [i.e., Fordyce] contended that if drinking caused some disorders it prevented others, and in this Carlisle agreed with him. We might interrupt Farington's account of Carlisle's appraisal and state that it received confirmation from the record of a discussion Farington held with Dr. Hayes. He spoke of the late Dr. George Fordyce, a most able Physician. He died abt. 70 years of age, & for 20 years before that Period had been in the habit of drinking much wine. It was his custom to go to a certain Coffee House & ask for Half a pint of wine, which wd. be followed by calling for another Half pint, the exhilarating feeling caused Him to go on. One eve- ning He desired to know what He had to pay. The waiter replied, "Sir, you had two Half pints, a Pint, and a Bottle." (March 9, 1808) Carlisle continued: Sir Francis Milman He spoke of as being a man of sense, & very capable; but doubted whether He had had sufficient experience. 410 YALE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE Dr. Ash He mentioned as being the best informed man of His profession; with the additional advantage of an extraordinary memory. Dr. Frazer, who died lately, He sd. had injured His constitution by drinking too much which had hurt some of the Viscera; but He had abstained from it latterly. Dr. Vaughhan He spoke of as being a man amiable in His manners, but one who did not seem to possess any great power of mind. Knowing Farington, it is hard to believe that this was the type of conversation that made him so feelingly express his relief at Car- lisle's departure. But in any case, the discussion was here inter- rupted for tea. That formality over with, however, it is clear that Carlisle continued to dominate and, perhaps by way of diversion, showed them drawings of "a design for a Bedlam, by an insane man in Bedlam, & read some of His mad notions of Himself, & some of His projects." Undoubtedly the interlude was highly diverting, but Carlisle shortly returned to his critical treatment of his confreres. The Diary continues: Carlisle said that the late Dr. Warren was a man of superior abilities; had great judgment, and strong reasoning powers, so that, said He, "Dr. Warren never killed in vain!" That is, if He found that medicines which in certain cases were reputed to be specific, & did not produce the effect expected, He wd. not adhere to them as many Physicians do secundum artem, but wd. consider what might be more likely to meet the case with advantage. He had also the power of keeping up the spirits of His patients, always endeavouring to inspire them with hope even in desperate cases, which greatly assisted His prescriptions. This is, indeed, the highest of praise, reserved by Carlisle, it seems, for the recently deceased Dr.